Wednesday, March 14, 2007

We've got a few loose bats in the belfry

Well actually just in the house. Paul caught one the other night and let him out. I saw another tonight, turned off the lights and opened the doors, but didn't see where it went, since the lights were out. My internet research indicates that these are babies, and that they sometimes get a little lost. They might be roosting in the walls or roof or something. Not quite sure what to do next, but did find some comforting facts:

* Bats are not rodents, and will not nibble or gnaw at wood, wires or insulation.
* All bats in the U.K. eat insects. Their droppings are dry and do not putrify, but crumble away to dust.
* Female bats have only one baby per year.
* Bats do not build nests and therefore do not bring bedding material into the roost, neither do they bring their insect prey into the roost.
* Most bats are seasonal visitors to roosts in houses - they are unlikely to live in that roost all year round, although they are loyal to their roosts and so usually return to the same roosts year after year.
* Bats are clean and sociable animals and spend many hours grooming themselves. They prefer to live in clean, cobweb free areas where there are no draughts.

Maybe we could just have some pet bats?

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